QA Engineer (Manual + Automation)

muSharp is seeking a skilled QA Engineer with expertise in both manual and automated testing to take ownership of quality assurance for an enterprise wealth management and investment platform. This platform includes CRM, deal pipeline management, and AI assistant features, all developed through interconnected web applications and REST APIs. The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience to ensure thorough test coverage, system reliability, integration quality, and readiness for release.

Key Responsibilities
- Define and implement the test strategy and plan for each release, adhering to the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) phases such as requirement analysis, planning, test case design, execution, and closure.
- Perform comprehensive functional testing covering all aspects of a feature, including positive, negative, and edge cases.
- Conduct integration testing to validate end-to-end workflows across multiple features and connected applications, ensuring data synchronization and consistency.
- Execute regression, smoke, and monkey testing prior to every release to maintain system stability.
- Carry out performance testing, including load and stress tests using tools like JMeter, and identify any bottlenecks affecting system performance.
- Develop and maintain automated API and UI tests for critical workflows, integrating these tests into continuous integration (CI) pipelines.
- Test authentication and access controls, including Microsoft Single Sign-On (SSO), user roles, permissions, and data visibility restrictions.
- Manage test cases, test runs, and coverage metrics using test management tools.
- Log detailed and reproducible defects, verify fixes, and provide final sign-off for releases.

Required Qualifications
- Minimum of 3 years of experience in QA testing for web applications and REST APIs.
- Strong understanding of STLC and test design principles, including coverage of edge cases, negative scenarios, and role/permission matrices.
- Proven experience in functional, integration, regression, monkey, and stress testing methodologies.
- Proficiency in API automation tools such as Postman/Newman or REST Assured.
- Hands-on experience with UI automation frameworks like Playwright, Cypress, or Selenium.
- Familiarity with load testing tools such as JMeter or equivalents.
- Experience using test case management tools like TestRail, Zephyr, or Xray, along with Jira for issue tracking.

Preferred Qualifications and Additional Skills
- Basic knowledge of authentication mechanisms including session management, JWT tokens, and SSO redirect flows.
- Ability to write SQL queries for data validation and verification purposes.
- Experience working with CI/CD pipelines, particularly GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps.
- Background or interest in FinTech or wealth management domains is a plus.

This is a full-time position based in OPF Society, Lahore, with a hybrid work model. The role reports directly to the Lead Architect and requires a proactive individual who can ensure high-quality software delivery in a dynamic environment.